A big long-term project

Behind the kitchen of this house we have renovated was the remnants of a stone-walled garden area that was overgrown with trees and weeds. Russ's original reaction to it was to simply remove it all and plant grass. I was attracted by the romantic image of an herb garden just outside the kitchen door so I wanted to "fix" it. The garden area seen in the final photo at the end of this blog post is the result of the efforts of multiple people over the 2+ years we have been here. The first thing we did, which I don't have a picture of, was to remove an extension of the stone wall that was an obstacle near the entrance to the basement. Then while Russ and I were away for a few days, Ammon and Angela risked life and limb to cut down a large, mature tree in one end of the walled space that had caused the wall to bulge and collapse. Then, last fall, Russ and I tackled what ended up being a really big job of removing the "stump". We had tried a couple of times before and had dug around it on occasion but never got far. It seemed like more than one stump intertwined with roots going on forever!

Before completely finishing clearing this end of the garden, Russ started rebuilding the end that had originally widened near the basement opening. The photo below shows the end Russ had built and shows Russ digging the foundation for a section of the wall yet to be rebuilt.

As we were relocating some of the dirt to allow for the foundation to be poured, we discovered a hole. It's hard to tell from this picture but as I shone a flashlight into the hole, I couldn't see a bottom! When I threw in a small rock, it seemed to just disappear! We didn't really want to unearth a huge hole. We didn't know how big it was or what its original purpose was and didn't have anything to fill it back in with. After some discussion and assumptions from various features of the house, we decided it was probably originally a cesspool to collect drainage before the house was connected to city water system. It became a convenient place to take care of bits of concrete that would have weighed very expensively at the dump then we blocked off the opening we had uncovered (see below) and re-buried it. It would have been nice to find a buried treasure but, alas, that is the stuff dreams and movies are made of.

So, here at last, in all its glory, is the final garden, the work of many hands over many hours- much more than anyone could imagine. I have planted what was left of the petunias I bought for the front of the house and didn't have room for along with a packet of cilantro seeds I moved here from Utah. Anyone need any cilantro? I'm going to have way more than I can use. The seeds are still good apparently. Eventually I want to put in strawberries and herbs. I'll probably have plenty of time for that. I have a feeling the "for sale" sign in the front yard is going to be there for awhile yet.

Visiting Mom

My mother took a bad fall last September (see the old post). I have been wanting to get down to Arizona to see her but was waiting to be able to go help her once she got home. However, the recovery is taking much longer than anticipated. But I did finally get down for a week to see her and Dad. She is finally getting out of bed for the first time in nearly 9 months. Her 83-year old muscles have atrophied quite a bit. She is working on recovering mobility but it's going to take awhile. This is the dining room at the nursing home. The breakfast being served was: orange juice, coffee/tea/hot chocolate, cream of wheat (Mom drank hers out of the bowl- since her hands shake quite a bit, it's easier than using a spoon), a piece of Texas toast French toast with a spoonful of cherry pie filling on top and syrup on the side, some mandarin oranges, and a sausage patty. Mom drank the juice, a carton of milk, ate the sausage patty (she has a weakness for sausage and bacon), drank the cream of wheat, and ate one little piece of the French toast because she was full. It really is a pretty good portion of food. This nursing home is a pleasant place- considering. The staff is kind and as attentive as they have time to be. It's clean and the rooms are large enough to accomodate visitors.

I couldn't help but feel sad for the residents who will probably finish out their days here. Some of them are old (a smiling man whose wheelchair is always near the door is 99) but some are just the unfortunate victims of illness or accident that leaves them needing lots of help. As always, I got philosophical and wondered how I would react if I ended up living in such a place. I try to eat right, get exercise, avoid bad health habits, wear a seat belt, and just live sensibly. However, there is always a chance I could end up with a serious disability. So how can I prepare? The patients who are smiling and pleasant are certainly easier for the staff to care for than the ones who bark, demand, and complain. So I can focus on being a nice, grateful type of person. The staff is really busy so sometimes the residents look out for each other by making sure the forgetful ones don't get lost and seeing to it that the quiet ones get help when they need it. So I can develop the habit of paying attention to the needs of others. I wish no one ever had to be helpless but it happens. I pray that I will have the inner strength to deal with it if it ever happens to me so I won't further burden people by being annoying or depressing.

Brooklyn and happy Father's Day

Recently we had the fun of having little Brooklyn here with us for a few days while her brothers went camping with their mom. She slept well, ate well, and was just all-round wonderful (I think she enjoyed the specific attention). At one point Russ was out in the driveway working on the small limousine and she, being always curious, wanted to see what he was doing. Here she is getting a look. Cute, huh? And I wanted to post a photo of Russ "opening" his Father's Day gift from the kids- a new barbecue grill. He was quite pleased. It's something we have wanted for awhile. The one we moved here from Utah (after having used it there several years) was in pretty bad shape. So, a big thank you to all who participated in this very welcomed gift!

Learning can be hard

Another troubling local incident- this time REALLY close to home: the neighbors on one side of us have been gone for about a week on a family trip. We weren't asked to watch the house but can't help seeing it because it's pretty close. They had a relative checking on it who said that two days before they returned everything looked fine. The day they returned, they stopped over to ask if we had noticed any suspicious activity recently to which we replied that we hadn't. Their house had been broken into and all of the things of any value stolen (tv's, computers, jewelry, oddly almost the complete wardrobe of one of the teenage sons). They are on a lease-to-own option for the house and do not have renters' insurance. Their only hope is that the police will be able to quickly find the thieves and recover their property. The sad part is that they are suspicious that it is someone they know, some young men who are not stealing out of starvation, need for shelter or any necessity of life. The parents (fairly well-educated and pleasant people) have been trying to warn their teenage sons about their choice of friends. I remember all to well the resentment teenagers can have toward parents who try to advise them on who they should have as friends. In their very natural maneuvering to establish their independent identities, teenagers rebel against much of what their parents say at some point. Not all parents are wise or truly have the best interest of their children always in mind. However, most parents really do love their children and try hard to assist them to avoid some of the pitfalls of life. It is really rare that parents simply "don't like" other kids their offspring might choose as friends. It isn't a prejudice based on hairstyle or political opinion or income level or any such shallow issue. I remember one of my biggest concerns as a parent was how my children's friends might influence the relationship between me and my child. It really hurt when the child I sacrificed for and anguished over chose to trust a person much less mature and less well-known than I. Parents truly are "older and wiser" and have known more people and had more experience in recognizing characteristics that can lead to trouble and heartache. We feel so bad for these neighbors whose house and life have been violated. We feel bad for their economic loss which will be difficult to recover, if they ever do. Mostly, we hope the kids open their eyes to realize who is truly on their side and who is just looking to selfishly benefit. Friends are an important and enriching element of life. But, in the long run, it's family that usually stick by through everything no matter what the cost.

People and choices

Another local newspaper item got me thinking. A group of 5 young men between the ages of 18 and 21 were about to go to jail for numerous mailbox bashing sprees. They drove through a fairly upscale area south of Dayton (yes, there are nearby areas that are NOT depressing ghettos) hanging out a car window with a baseball bat, destroying mailboxes. When asked why, they told the police that it was "something to do", they "did it for fun". I immediately pictured young men of the same age with white shirts, ties, and name tags reading "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints". Their activities include studying scriptures, knocking on doors to introduce people to the church, rendering many hours of service to others, and teaching people about the gospel of Jesus Christ. I realize that not every 19-year old male who chooses not to serve as a missionary will end up bashing mailboxes, but it does cause thought as to what they will do with their leisure time. Depending on their life circumstances, they may have little free time because they're working and going to school, or lots of free time because they have parents willing to support them while they do whatever they want "for fun". It can also make you wonder where those men will be 10 or 20 years from now and what they will be doing. Early in life it only takes one small step to totally change paths. I'm glad I have chosen a path that will result in my spending eternity with people who prefer to use their "free time" to benefit others. It will be heavenly!!

AH Family!

Scott's parents, Ruth and Sam Orme, came to Ohio to see their son before he is deployed and also to be here for the grandsons' baptismal service. Most of the people in this photo are family, if not by blood or legal contract, then by heart. There was a happy, pleasant feeling in the room.

Brooklyn was pretty well-behaved for a toddler. She sat with the children on the floor in front of the baptismal font to watch her cousins enter the water and at the appropriate moment shouted gustily " "men!" (Amen) Later, during one of the confirmations, she was equally vocal in announcing to everyone "Pare!" (prayer) There was no condemnation of her very normal childish behavior. In fact, she was very much adored, as are all of our grandchildren by everyone in our family. The love goes both ways! Most of the children are very comfortable with aunts, uncles, and grandparents as they are with their parents. I just can't say enough in expressing my gratitude for the loving, sharing family I am blessed to be a part of. We have lots of intelligence and talents, too. There is never a lack of a pianist or chorister for these family events. Victoria did a great job taking a turn playing the piano for this baptism. I know we are an eternal unit. We could probably even have our own sacrament meeting! We don't currently have the authority to do that in the Lord's order of things but I can see it as a very real possibility some day.

Another family baptism

Saturday the members of our family who live near enough gathered for a wonderful baptismal service. Joshua (on the right) and Martin (left) Orme were baptised here in Ohio. Martin is 10 years old but his parents waited for him to request baptism, a wise decision. Joshua had his 8th birthday a couple of weeks ago but wanted to wait for his father to baptise him. Here is Dad (Scott) who was home for 10 days between training and his 6-month deployment to Afghanistan. Russ (Grandpa) was willing to do the baptism but it was really wonderful that Scott was able to be home for a few days and is a worthy priesthood holder so he could do the ordinance. Russ and I are very proud of the boys' choice to make this covenant with our Heavenly Father.